decompose

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See also: décomposé and décompose

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Middle French décomposer. Equivalent to de- +‎ compose.

Pronunciation

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  • enPR: dē"kəm-pōz', IPA(key): /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: de‧com‧pose
  • Rhymes: -əʊz

Verb

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decompose (third-person singular simple present decomposes, present participle decomposing, simple past and past participle decomposed)

  1. (transitive) To separate or break down (something) into its components.
    Synonyms: disintegrate, fragment
    Antonyms: compose; assemble; recompose
    Coordinate term: disassemble
    Various fungi can decompose wood.
    Our team decomposed this task into several subtasks that could be successfully distributed.
  2. (intransitive) To rot, decay or putrefy.
    Synonym: break down
    Plastics can take centuries to decompose.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Italian

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Verb

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decompose

  1. third-person singular past historic of decomporre